Multilayer electrical devices--those made from layering a dielectric material and a conductive material on a base--suffer from delamination, blistering, and other reliability problems. This is particularly true when the laminates are subjected to thermal stress.
Known attempts to solve these problems seem to have focused on physical or chemical roughening, particularly of the base or substrate. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,707. Although oxide-related chemical roughening processes have been used, an emphasis on physical roughening may reflect the use of materials that are relatively chemically resistant. Both physical and chemical roughening approaches have improved adherence to the base.
However, the extent to which this adherence can be increased by roughening has its limits. And despite a long standing recognition of delamination, blistering, and reliability problems, and the attempts to find a solution, these problems have been persistent in electrical devices made of layered materials.